By Michael Weadock, November 2026
This year both John and I turned 50. John celebrated his milestone birthday in Glasgow where we were both working at The Commonwealth Games for talkSPORT. Some colleagues and I threw John a little surprise party and we ate cakes before heading back to work. He was delighted with his Finnie mascot toy which we wrapped up and gave to him as a token gift too.
Planning for my birthday began months in advance. Not that I knew. When my mum became ill earlier this year, she gave my sister some instructions about using some savings she had to do something special for my big day. After she died, we started hatching a plan together to put her wish into place. The idea that we came up with was to travel to Switzerland, as a family, to visit the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
Have a listen to this episode of the podcast where I talk about my visit:
If you’re a fan of the Olympics and have the chance to visit, I would certainly recommend it. My day was made before we had even paid to go in.
Completely by chance, we were in Lausanne on the same weekend as European Athletics were hosting their annual awards. Amy Hunt was one of the nominees. We travelled to Lausanne via train from northern Italy only to find ourselves on a rail replacement bus around Lake Maggiore. I remember thinking if Amy was making a similar trip from her training base in Padova that I hoped she was having a more direct journey!
It also meant the great and good of European Athletics were in town ahead of the awards which took place in the evening. So, who was the first person I saw in the reception area of the Olympic Museum?
Sebastian Coe.
The President of World Athletics had been hosting an event and looked as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He thought I was there in a work capacity and wanted to interview him. When I explained I was on holiday with my sister, wife and children, he asked to be introduced to the family and had a chat with the kids about the Olympics, London 2012 and Chelsea’s prospects later that night against Tottenham. We had some photographs together and he told me, as he always does, that he’s happy to chat to talkSPORT whenever we needed him.
He had previously told me that when he joined talkSPORT at the Olympics in Paris to catch up with friends and colleagues Daley Thompson and Tessa Sanderson that he had never had a reaction on social media like it. Helping to organise that little radio reunion of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic British track and field medallists remains a very proud achievement for Anything but Footy.
So, what was already a special day came with some added excitement. The Olympic Museum has an exhibition across three floors. There is a display about the ancient Olympics and the re-birth under Pierre de Coubertin who founded the modern Olympics and there is plenty to see and read about each subsequent edition of the Games.
Moving through the Museum, there is also an opportunity to see an example of each of the Olympic torches from across the decades as well as the designs of the medals from each Games too. The children particularly enjoyed the section displaying the different equipment and kit and how it has developed over the years. I spent a significant amount of time watching the giant wraparound video wall showcasing highlights from the Opening Ceremony over the years. I do love an Opening Ceremony.
The final part of the Museum is always changing with a number of temporary displays. Appropriately for our trip, the display was about how media has evolved and what the future broadcasts might look like.
The area around the Museum is well worth spending some time visiting as well. They have just installed a new set of Olympic Rings on the banks of Lake Geneva which makes for a brilliant photo opportunity and on the steps up to the front entrance the names of each of the final torch bearers are engraved for each edition of the Games. I sent a picture to Desiree Henry of her name on the step which featured all the young people who lit the cauldron in 2012.
All in all, a brilliant visit which I’ll never forget.
Thanks Seb.
Thanks Mum.
